Linton, Indiana

Linton, Indiana
City
"You'll Like Linton"
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 39°2′11″N 87°9′56″W / 39.03639°N 87.16556°W / 39.03639; -87.16556Coordinates: 39°2′11″N 87°9′56″W / 39.03639°N 87.16556°W / 39.03639; -87.16556
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Greene
Township	Stockton
Government
• Mayor	John Wilkes (D)
Area[1]
• Total	3.02 sq mi (7.82 km2)
• Land	3.02 sq mi (7.82 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	531 ft (162 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	5,413
• Estimate (2012[3])	5,373
• Density	1,792.4/sq mi (692.0/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47441
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-44190[4]
GNIS feature ID	0437969[5]

Linton is a city in Stockton Township, Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. A coal mining city, it is located southeast of Terre Haute. The current mayor is John Wilkes.

Linton is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Linton was essentially founded around the entrepreneuring of John W. Wines, who first sold goods in the Linton area, briefly in 1831. Although he would later relocate to Fairplay, Indiana, he returned and opened a general store in Linton in 1837. He would later build a small horse mill as well as a tannery. The city itself was officially chartered and named in June 1850, laid out by Hannah E. Osborn and Isaac V. Coddington. In the late 19th century, small underground coal mines began to appear near and almost inside the city and the population expanded rapidly. At the turn of the 20th century, the population was larger than it is today. At one point in the 1920s, there were at least 35 drinking establishments and an equal number of churches.

In the 1920s, small surface mines began to predominate, and their small, unreclaimed hills and strip-pit lakes still surround the city. The lakes have provided a regular, if limited, amount of fishing tourism for decades. Signs of the underground mines remain as well, including tipples on private land and sinkholes that appear regularly on private property, roads and even within the city limits. By the 1940s, the underground mines were gone and the small surface mines had moved on or been consumed by large corporations such as Peabody Coal Company. These mines were the primary employers well into the 1980s.

In 1952, General Electric built a factory on the southeast side of the city. This factory employed several hundred until the mid-1980s, when General Electric phased out most of their small motors production in the U.S. The building remains empty due to EPA regulations. In 2014, GE began to tear down the factory, which is now gone. The company won't be selling the land back to the city, but selling the land to buyers, themselves.

The Linton Commercial Historic District and Linton Public Library are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[6]

Geography

Linton is located at 39°2′11″N 87°9′56″W / 39.03639°N 87.16556°W / 39.03639; -87.16556 (39.036271, -87.165537).^[7]

According to the 2010 census, Linton has a total area of 3.02 square miles (7.82 km²), all land.^[1]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 5,413 people, 2,325 households, and 1,443 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,792.4 inhabitants per square mile (692.0/km²). There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of 880.8 per square mile (340.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 2,325 households of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 5,774 people, 2,450 households, and 1,526 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,949.7 people per square mile (753.2/km²). There were 2,792 housing units at an average density of 942.8 per square mile (364.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.30% White, 0.09% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population.

There were 2,450 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,477, and the median income for a family was $36,138. Males had a median income of $32,213 versus $17,304 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,554. About 8.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Chuck Bennett, football player and coach.
• Gene Porter Bridwell, seventh Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
• David Butler, first Governor of Nebraska.
• Phil Harris, musician, actor, and comedian.
• Dorothy Mengering, mother of David Letterman.
• Elmer Oliphant, football player.^[10]
• Spencer Pope, football player.
• Ashley Russell, sportscaster.

• Max Woolsey, basketball player; Indiana All-Star; 2x NAIA Finals (1946, 1948); Professional Basketball (New York Celtics, Boston Whirlwinds).

Arts and entertainment

Linton Music Festival

The tagline for the Linton Music Festival is "Mayberry meets Woodstock." In 2010, over 12,000 people attended. The festival prides itself in being a free event that offers entertainment for all ages and musical tastes. The festival operates as a non-profit entity that strives to promote the musical arts, economic development, and tourism. It is funded in part by grants from the Indiana Arts Commission and corporate sponsors (DIRECTV, Linton Family Pharmacy, and Node 1 Technology among others). The Linton Music Festival (LMF) is held annually on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday prior to Labor Day.

Carnegie Heritage and Arts Center of Greene County

The Carnegie Library

The Carnegie Heritage and Arts Center of Greene County is responsible for preserving and maintaining the historic 1908 Margaret Cooper Public Library building (a Carnegie library), which also houses the city's Phil Harris and Alice Faye memorabilia collection.

Freedom Festival

Linton has been celebrating Independence Day since 1905. Events include the largest Independence Day parade in Indiana-bringing over 40,000 people to this city,^[11] a week-long visit from a traveling carnival, local music and entertainment, and fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Marsh Madness

This festival, beginning in 2010,^[12] celebrates the wildlife contained in the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Goose Pond is a wetlands reclamation project south of the city, which has had some success at restoring marginal farmland to its natural condition. The goal is to encourage hunting, fishing and naturalist excursions.

In popular culture

Linton is one of the teams that plays against Hickory High in the motion picture Hoosiers.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Linton, Indiana.

• Linton Chamber of Commerce
• Linton Public Library
• Linton-Stockton School Corporation
• Greene County Daily World Newspaper
• The Linton Music Festival
• The Lintonian Blogazine
• Linton Digital Repository
• Linton Civitan Club

Municipalities and communities of Greene County, Indiana, United States
County seat: Bloomfield
Cities	Jasonville Linton
Towns	Bloomfield Lyons Newberry Switz City Worthington
Townships	Beech Creek Cass Center Fairplay Grant Highland Jackson Jefferson Richland Smith Stafford Stockton Taylor Washington Wright
CDPs	Owensburg Scotland
Other unincorporated communities	Antioch Beehunter Bushrod Calvertville Cincinnati Dixon Doans Ellis Elliston Furnace Gilmour‡ Hashtown Hendricksville Hobbieville Hoosier Ilene Island City Johnstown Koleen Lone Tree Marco McVille Midland Midland Junction Mineral City Newark Park Plummer Point Commerce Ridgeport Solsberry Sponsler Stalcup Corner Summit Tanner Tulip Vicksburg Victoria White Rose
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties